- Black Curatorial is opening up the art world to Black curators in the UK and Black artists & curators in Barbados and Jamaica with a fund to fly across the globe
- Created in response to systemic barriers preventing Black artists and curators travel and funding opportunities in the art world
- The fund exists to amplify Black voices, ideas and art in the Caribbean
- Funded by Black Curatorial, Art Fund & Arts Council England
The Fly Me Out Fund, founded by Black Curatorial, is on a mission to encourage more Black curators to experience new things and support them in their journey to expose new ways in approaching creativity. Only 2.6% of Black and Brown curators in institutional jobs in London, which boasts over 40% of its population being Black or Brown. The percentage is even smaller when it comes to statistics on Black Curators, as cited in Art Fund’s recent report ‘It’s About Handing over Power’.
Jenny Waldman, Director of Art Fund, says –
“Black Curatorial’s Fly Me Out Fund provides a fantastic opportunity for Black curators to
enrich their practice through new cultural experiences around the world. I’m delighted that the Art Fund is able to support these travel bursaries through our Jonathan Ruffer funding programme, as part of our commitment to curatorial development”
Due to institutional racism, there are very rarely all-expenses-paid opportunities for curators in particular to nationally and globally develop their craft as curators as they are unable to experience exhibitions, galleries and activations in different countries.
“Curation is important to our cultural consciousness because it sets the tone for cultural workers and global ethics in the long term. More trained and internationally minded Black Curators creates more space for Black artists to thrive away from exoticism and inaccurate representations of their work”
- Aliyah Hasinah, Founder or Black Curatorial’s Fly Me Out Fund
The Fly Me Out Fund aims to provide a fresh sense of what is possible outside of the largely underrepresented and institutionally racist art world of the UK.
Now in its second year, Black Curatorial’s Fly Me Out Fund is back and applications are now open.
Curators and Artists can apply:
- If you are based in the UK, only Black curators can apply.
- If you are based in Barbados or Jamaica, you can be an artist or a curator.
- Apply with a project that is interesting, that you can fit into the £1000 for the trip.
- Be well planned in where you want to go, who you want to connect with.
WHO CAN APPLY
Black Curators and Artists based in Barbados or Jamaica, and Curators based in the UK (Artists in the UK are not eligible, only curators). To find out more about the criteria for the Fly Me Out Fund 2023 please click here.
Deadline for applications: 10th August 2023. Successful applicants will be notified on the 1st September 2023. You can apply here via our Google Forms.
The intention is to centre play on how to broaden the horizons of curators and their access to thought across the world. By enabling curators to be immersed in different visions and spaces for a week or long weekend, practices can be transformed. Black Curatorial is asking chosen artists and curators to document their process and educational experience as live archiving and Black ownership over documentation is central to our practice.
“It feels good to have the support of a fund whose interests align with mine; that is to pursue art while being mindful of our impact on our environment.”
– Taisha Carrington, Fly Me Out Recipient 2022
Born in 2020, following a year of ACE funded international research, Black Curatorial exists to push Black Curators and Creatives to play more in their practice. Creating spaces, events, development programmes, immersive experiences & projects centering Black artists, curators, thought and decolonial praxis.
Experiencing new things often changes your perception of the world and exposes you to new ways of approaching creativity. By centering an ethos of play and experimentation, we want to invest in Black Curators to unlock new creative levels and pathways that enrich their practice.